


Musical Touch

by Moonlightmusic



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, And that's what I'm gonna give them, M/M, These two just deserve happines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-15 19:40:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9253076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonlightmusic/pseuds/Moonlightmusic
Summary: A discovery from under Rafe's bed allows him to show his hidden talent.





	

Nothing was getting done today. Snow was heavily falling and piling up as a cold front and a storm was coming through. People were advised to stay inside as the storm made its welcome and its three-day stay. With flights being canceled as well, that meant Harry and Rafe couldn’t fly to Paris for a job. So instead, they decided to relax at Rafe’s apartment for the next few days.

However, there was only so much they could do without becoming bored. And after one day, they were bored out of their minds. Harry sat on the couch watching bad made for TV movies one after another while Rafe sat next to him on his laptop. Occasionally they would talk to one another, but usually they just sat in silence doing their own things.

“Hey Harry?” Rafe finally spoke up. They looked at each other. “Can you grab my wallet from my room?” Harry rolled his eyes but got up anyways,

“Oh, and your legs are broken?” he joked, but he didn’t get a smile from his friend. He let out an awkward cough. “Where is it?”

“On the stand next to my bed,” he told him, thanking him as well.

Harry left the living room and made his way down the hallway into Rafe’s bedroom. It was mainly decorated with dark, neutral colors with the occasional pops of bright colors here and there. A few paintings lined the walls, and photo frames sat on top of the desk and drawers. He could watch the snow falling through the window.

Walking toward the stand next to the bed, he picked up the wallet. However, he somehow lost his grip on it and it ended up falling to the ground. “Shit,” he mumbled, bending down to pick it up. Still, he couldn’t find it and that’s when he realized that it must’ve found it way under the bed. Looking underneath, he not only saw the wallet, which he grabbed, but he saw something else. It looked as if it was a small briefcase with a black folder sitting on top of it.

It seemed so out of place. The entire room was immaculate in terms of neatness and tidiness. So why hide something under the bed when it could be placed in a closet Harry thought to himself. He pushed the thought into the back of his mind as he stood up. It was none of his business. However, before he could reach the door he found himself back on the ground and grabbing the case along with the folder. Still, he didn’t open it. He was going to ask Rafe what it was.

“Took you long enough,” Rafe told him as he reentered the living room. “I almost thought you got lost.” Harry handed him the wallet, hiding his other hand behind his back. Rafe noticed, and looked at him with suspicious eyes. “What are you hiding?” He didn’t budge. “Harry?”

“Okay. Well you see,” Harry began, “I dropped your wallet. It ended up going under your bed. And when I went to go get it, I found this.” He brought the small case and folder out from behind him and Rafe’s eyes went wide for a moment. “I didn’t open them. It just seemed so out of place, being under your bed and all.”

A tiny smile appeared on Rafe’s lips, but was gone in an instant. “And you want to know what’s in it? Don’t you?” Harry eagerly nodded as he took a seat next to Rafe while he moved his laptop to the coffee table. Rafe took the items out of Harry’s hand, placing them on his lap. “You’re not gonna be impressed. It’s nothing major or even that important.”

He proceeded to unzip the case, opening it up to reveal what’s inside. It was something Harry had never seen before. It was long, black and thin with golden attachments covering the holes on the contraption. There was also a box within in the case as well as a small plastic cup. Everything fit perfectly in its own compartment.

“It’s my oboe,” Rafe told him. Harry only looked at him, slightly confused.

“You’re what?”

Rafe sighed. “My oboe. You know? Typical rich kid instrument right after the piano, cello, bassoon, and violin.” Harry shrugged.

“Nope. Not a clue. Sorry.” Rafe didn’t say anything as he moved it and the folder to the coffee table. “Still, I didn’t know you played an instrument,” Harry told him. That got a low chuckle from Rafe.

“Other than fencing, I wasn’t the sporty type,” he explained. “My parents had to find something for me to do in my free time. I was smart but I wasn’t that smart. Next thing in line was playing an instrument. They picked this out for me, got the me best lessons money could buy, and next thing you know I’m preforming at least two times a month in all these student and all-state orchestras.”

Harry was speechless for a moment. He never took Rafe for the musical type. “That’s pretty incredible. Were you really that good?”

Rafe nodded, looking back at his oboe. “I told you, I got the best lessons. Though, my teacher did say I was ‘gifted.’ I knew that was a load of shit. I hated it so much at first that I didn’t even try. But I will admit, I grew to like it and I did actually become really good at it. Hell, I had at least one solo every performance.”

“Wow,” he told him. “I know I’m not really saying much and what I do say is the same thing, but I’m shocked. I never took you for the musical type, and definitely not an oboe player.” Rafe told him that a lot of people tell him that. “Why are you in this business then? Why aren’t you out touring the world in some famous orchestra?”

A frown appeared on Rafe’s face. “My parents wouldn’t let me, simple as that. I had so many colleges fighting over me, offering me anything they could to get me to choose them. But my parents told me a future in music wasn’t a proper one for me. I need to do something ‘real’ with my life.” Harry was about to say something, but Rafe spoke up once more. “I always found it ironic that my parents forced me to learn it and then put an end to it once it was possible for me to have a future in it.”

Harry nodded. “Yea, that’s pretty shitty if you ask me. But this is your oboe right? Do you still play it?” he asked.

“From time to time, yes. I make sure to pick it up at least once a month,” he told him. It felt so weird talking about all this. It was something he usually kept to himself, only bringing it up if necessary. It’s not that he wasn’t proud of this, in fact he considered it to be one of his greatest achievements. It was just something that didn’t need to be brought up often.

“Play it for me,” Harry said probably most enthusiastic than he intended. Rafe didn’t say anything, he only coked an eyebrow. “Come on. You keep are talking a big game and I wanna hear it. Please?” He did his best to give Rafe some puppy-dog eyes and a pouty lip, but it didn’t work.

“I don’t think so Harry. Maybe another time.”

"But Rafe,” he pleaded, “this is the perfect time. We can’t do anything until this storm lets up. Besides, I wanna hear how good you are.” Rafe looked at him for a moment and then let out a long sigh.

“Fine, just give me a few minutes.” Harry smiled as Rafe got off the couch, bringing the plastic cup from inside the case out of the room with him. For some reason, he was so excited to hear him play. It would definitely add some excitement to this boring day.

When Rafe finally returned, he placed the now water filled cup on the table, picking up the box out of the case. He pulled something out of it, placing it into the cup.

“That’s the reed,” he explained as he knew Harry was slightly confused. “It needs to be wet so you can play this. It’s a double reed, so it’s easier to get it wet in a cup of water rather than your mouth.”

“Oh.”

Rafe picked up his oboe with delicate fingers. He removed the reed from the cup, carefully pushing it into the opening on the top. He told Harry to pick anything from the folder, which was quite difficult. Other than the fact that it was sheet music, he had no idea what any of it was or what it would sound like. He just wanted to pick something that would sound nice, but also hard. In the end, he just picked something blindly and handed it to Rafe.   

“Ah, Ralph Williams’s Rondo Pastorale. It’s the first movement in his Oboe Concerto. Good choice.” The comment caused Harry to smile. “Now, I will preface this that some parts might sound weird because I’m obviously supposed to be playing with other instruments, but you probably won’t notice the difference.” Harry only nodded. “Just let me warm up for a minute.”

Harry watched as Rafe placed his fingers over the parts he called keys and he put the reed in between his lips. He took a breath in, and his fingers went up and the down the instrument with ease. They were called scales he learned, and he didn’t know how to describe the sound. All he knew was that he liked it.

Rafe set the oboe down on his lap for a moment, moving the sheet music so it was easier to see. He glanced over to Harry, who only gave him encouraging words to continue. He sighed, and placed the reed in his mouth again. After another moment of silence, he began playing once more.

The smile left Harry’s face and was replaced with a look of awe. He was amazed, impressed, and memorized by the sound he heard. It was weird, different. All he knew was that he liked it. In fact, he loved it. His gaze always found his way back to Rafe’s fingers. They looked as if they moved with no effort at all, and the music coming out sounded just the same. Effortless and beautiful.

Minutes passed and Rafe placed his oboe on the coffee table, and he brought his eyes to Harry’s. “So? Was it everything you hoped?”

He didn’t answer for a moment, letting the smile return to his face. “Everything and more. It was beyond amazing. It was perfect.” Rafe shrugged.

“I made a few mistakes here and there, but what can you expect. I’m glad you enjoyed it though,” he told him.

“You know, I wish we knew each other when we were younger,” Harry told him. “That way I would’ve been able to go to a few of your performances.”

Rafe smiled for a moment, but it quickly faded. “That’s more than my parents would’ve come to.” Harry thought he was joking for a moment, but the look on Rafe’s face told him he wasn’t. “I mean, they did come to a few obviously, but at one point they started just dropping me off and telling me to call them when it was over. You can guess what happened when I could finally drive myself.” Rafe didn’t look at him anymore and instead brought his gaze to the snow falling on the other side of the window.

Harry didn’t say anything and let the silence surround them for a moment. Rafe had a privileged life, there’s no lie about that, but that didn’t mean it was exactly a happy one. He couldn’t relate to the struggles of most, but he did have his own. Harry was about to put his hand on Rafe’s leg and ask him a question, but he stopped himself before he could. There was no need to pry on his memories.

“Well, just know I would’ve been at every single performance,” he settled on saying. A smile reappeared on Rafe’s face. There’s my favorite smile Harry thought to himself.

He leaned over, kissing Harry on the lips. “I know you would.” He put the music back in its folder, his reed back in its box, and his oboe back in its case. Getting up, he picked up the water-filled cup and walked to the kitchen, and the cup was empty when he returned. He placed the cup inside the case as well, and zipped it close. “I’m gonna put this away. I’ll be right back.” He left with the items in hand.

Harry got up and stretched, yelling that he was going to make some hot chocolate in Rafe’s general direction. He left the room as well, and when he returned with mugs in hand Rafe was flipping through the channels. “Hey, put that movie on,” he told him as he sat down. He handed Rafe his mug. “It’s so bad that it’s laughable, so it’s perfect for today.”

He put it on and threw the remote to the side. Without a second thought, Harry put his arm around Rafe who snuggled up into the touch. They had some meaningless chatter, making jokes about the movie they were watching and drinking their hot chocolate. Today was a good day they both thought to themselves, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.


End file.
